Session Convener:
T.V. Bharat, I.I.T. Guwahati

Email: tvb@iitg.ac.in

Theme Description

High-level nuclear waste management is crucial from the environmental safety and health perspectives. The high-level nuclear waste consists of radioactive elements in a slurry state under high temperatures, which is encapsulated in a metal canister and then buffered with heavily compacted bentonite bricks. Bentonite, a clay mineral widely used in nuclear waste disposal systems, plays a critical role as a buffer and sealant material due to its excellent swelling properties, low permeability, and stability under mechanical and thermal stresses. Understanding the coupled thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of unsaturated bentonite under harsh conditions is essential for ensuring the integrity of nuclear waste repositories over millennia. This session invites theoretical, experimental, and numerical studies related to the use of bentonite in nuclear waste disposal, with a particular focus on its hydraulic and swelling characteristics under extreme conditions. We welcome contributions that investigate the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC), coupled thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical processes, and the effects of chemical interactions and high mechanical loadings on bentonite’s performance as a sealing material.

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